Railway-signal.



PATENTED MAY 7, "1907.

H. G. SEDGWIGK.

RAILWAY SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED rim/1'24, 1905.

Witmzooeo -1nE NuRRIs rsrsns co., WAsHmpruN, n. c

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RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'ir'atented May 7, 1907.

Application filed November 24, 1905. Serial No- 288,918.

To all who/7t it nw/y concern.-

Be it known that I, Hnmn' G. Snnewron, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Mill Valley, county of Marin, State or" California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Signals, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a (Jliagrammatic view of a portion of a roadbed and a portion of the electrical connections for a block system; Fig. 2 a de tail view showing the worm and worm-gear for rotating a target signal; and Fig. 3 a detail view of one possible form of contactbrush for use on the locomotive.

In a co pending application numbered 288,914 I have described and claimed an automatic train stopping block system in which by means of a series of contacts on the roadtod and electrical connections and means on the locomotive for applying the l rakes a train automatically preempts sections or blocks of the track as it proceeds and in which the train will be stopped if it attempts to pass into any one of the preempted blocks. This system is intended to do away entirely with the personal element in the matter of avoiding danger and therefore ena lcs the usual systems of signals to be discarded. Inasmuch, however, as it may be desirable to continue the use of a signal system with my train-stopping system I have devised the present invention, which may be used with said train-stopping system or be used independently thereof.

In the present invention I employ a series of pairs of separated and insulated contactplates f and 9, adjacent to the rails, these contacts being adapted to be successiyely bridged and metallically connected by suitable means on the locomotive such for instance as the separated brushes shown in my aforesaid application or a single brush such as shown in Fig. 3 or in any other manner as the locomotive passes over these contacts.

This present invention has its highest degree of utility when it is employed in the manner of a block system, the blocks being arranged end to end as shown in Fig. l or being overlapped as is now common with block systems. Each block will consist of a pair of actuating-contacts g at the beginning of the block and a pair of restoring-contacts f at or near the end of the block. The signal device, which may be a semaphore or a target, as

r l 1 l l shown in Fig. 2, or any other suitable visual or audible device is preferably placed at the beginning of the block and is moved to danger position by the locomotive passing over the contacts g and restored by the locomotive passing over the contactsf.

Conductors we connect the setting-contacts g'with a battery it and one of the electromagnets act a double switch 2), so that when the contacts 9 are metallically connected by the passing locomotive the magnet '0 will be energized and the switch 1) caused to close one branch (1 of a local circuit 1", which circuit includes a suitable battery 8. he release or restore-contacts f are connected by wires t to another battery it and the other magnet 0 of the double switch so that when these restorecontacts are bridged by the locomotive the switch will be thrown to the other side and thereby open the branch (1 and close the other branch to, thereby switching the battery 8 into this latter branch. Another double switch as is connected up to the branch circuits q and w and the brushes of the motor 6 in such manner that when one of the branches is in circuit with battery 8 the motor will run in one direction and will be reversed when the other branch of the circuit is switched into circuit with the battery 8. As shown, wires (1 are in circuit with one of the magnets y of the switch at and the wires w are in circuit with the other magnet 2 of this switch. The double arm of the switch a carries at each end a pair of insulated contact-plates a which alternately make contact with plugs Z) and contacts 0. One pair of contacts a are connected by wires (Z with the respective brushes of a motor 6 while the other pair of of contacts 0 is also connected by independent circuit wires 6 to the respective brushes of the motor. In each of the circuits d and e is inserted a circuit-breakerj adapted to be alternately opened and closed by pins 9 carried by the worm-gear 0, these pins 9 being so disposed on the gear that one of these circuit-closers will always be closed and the other will always be open when at rest.

By the arrangement above described it will. be observed that'when battery 8 is thrown into either of the branches to or q the motor will be rotated in one direction and when thrown into the other branch the motor will be rotated in the opposite direction. When the motor has turned shaft a, through the medium of worm-gear c and worm (Z, a quarter revolution, one of the pins 9 carried by able signal.

said gear will break the circuit that happens i What I claim and desire to secure by Letto be in action and thus stop the motor. The i ters Patent is shaft to may be a target-shaft, as shown in 1. The combination of a railway signal, Fig. 2, electric motor means for alternately shifting the signal to danger and to safety, two branch the switch 90 is shifted to reverse the current circuits connected to said motor means, a 1 c1rcu1t breaker 1n each branch adapted to be through the motor, the current is reversed I through the armature only, the direction of automatically operated by the signal operating means, a main local circuit including a the current through the field remaining conbattery and a switch, electrical means for stant. With an arrangement of this char- 1 shifting the switch to alternately throw the acter it will be observed that a passing 1000- l motive will first bridge the contacts g and battery into circuit with said two branch circuits, and roadbed devices operable by a thereby start the motor, which will set the passing locomotive in circuit with said signal to danger position, the motor stopping 7 switch, whereby each train as it passes will when the shaft a has been turned a quarter revolution; then when the train has reached first shift the signal to danger and subsequently shift it back to safety.

the contacts f and bridged the same, the motor, will be reversed, thus restoring the signal 2. In combination, a signal device and to normal position.

It will be observed that this invention is not confined to the specific apparatus shown and described as the same may be greatly modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, for instance instead of employing one motor and a reversing switch I may employ two motors, connecting one of the branch circuits w to one motor and the other branch circuit q to the other motor. In case the present invention is employed in i connection with my train-stopping system covered by the application hereinbefore referred to, it would be possible to connect the circuits m and 15 respectively to the setting and the restore-contacts of said system, so that each pair of these contacts will perform not only the function set forth in said appli cation but also the function set forth in the present application.

or it may connect with any other suit- It will be understood that when local circuit including a battery and a switch, two branch circuits adapted to be alternately connected to said main circuit, said branch circuits being connected to the motor means, an automatic circuit breaker in each branch circuit, two magnets for shifting the aforesaid switch, a local circuit and battery in circuit with each of these magnets, and roadbed contacts connected to each of these latter local circuits, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 2d day of November 1905.

HIRAM G. SEDGWICK.

\Vitnesses S. H. ROBERTS, i W. M. THAOKER.

electric motor means for operating it, a main 

